AIBU to be angry with DH for reporting my DB for benefit fraud

[ninja1890]

Help first time post as I need some perspective please. My DH has confessed to me that he has recently reported my DB for benefit fraud.

We have both suspected for some time that this is the case as he is a single father and seems to have alot of excess income. Think haircuts, tattoos, new clothes weekly nights out etc. He has never worked and has just booked a holiday and is saving to get married to his new partner - they don't currently live together.

We don't have any proof but DH reasons that if we suspect we should report. I can't help feeling angry that he has done this. If my DB isn't defrauding the system he has nothing to worry about but it will probably result in a suspension of benefit and worry. Also I am worried about the implications for my DN etc

Just sounds like it's been done out of spite rather than trying to clamp down on benefit fraud

Runner you seem to think these things are resolved within a couple of days and it will be all remedied if he isn't committing fraud. I work in social housing and the knock on effect of having benefits stopped for any length of time, is horrendous for people.

I am still yet to understand HOW he is acting fraudulently and what the hell benefits he could be claiming fraudulently?

It might not be possible to prove it is fraud.

however if he has a wallet full.of credit or store cards it dies point towards it not being fraud.

clothes cab be bought from.the likes of very and paid in installments.

hair cuts - cheap fir men anyway and he could signed up to be a model.

a mate could done the tattoo or it could have hen a present.

holidays you pay off monthly if you book in advance enough.

I'm honestly shocked by the amount of people who wouldn't be prepared to report someone for suspected benefit fraud.

I am assuming from the ops post that they have seen enough dodgy behaviour over a prolonged period of time to believe it is likely. Again, it's not just the husbands suspicion, from the ops post she also believes it is the case but just wouldn't want to shop him.

I'd also question how people think he's getting loans and credit cards if he doesn't work

The 'dodgy' behaviour is that he has too much money for their liking. That's it.

Being out of work, all he could claim was:
JSA
Income Support
Housing benefit
Child benefit - which everyone gets.

Is there anything else he would be entitled to claim for or anything he could be claiming fraudulently?

The only reason to think hes committing benefit fraud is that he spends a lot!?!?

As a single father he can, very legitimately, be much better off financially than a lowish earning DH and SAHM.

I escaped abusive exH a few months ago. He was earning 21500, I was a SAHM, we had two young children, got tax creds and CB. We barely got by. Now I'm a single mother my rent is 300pm more than our mortgage was (250 more than I can get in housing benefit), yet I have a few hundred left every month. I don't really have to budget anymore. Its cheap to keep me and the DC. Sure my benefits come to a little less than we had coming in as a family (post tax) but I also don't have to find money for ex's car tax, mot, petrol, insurance, parking, etc. Plus there's the benefits like healthy start vouchers, free prescriptions, eye tests, money towards glasses, etc - they seriously add up.

So your dH was being Extremely Unreasonable and very petty and jealous.

If there's a reason to suspect fraud, then it's a duty to report it regardless of who it is. Fraud, be it retail, banking, or benefits costs us all in the long run.

I spent the last 15 years of my career investigating benefit fraud in the US. I saw internal communications regarding the total amount of fraud, many of the cases 'small potatoes', that goes on here and it's astounding. Just as many small leaks in the dam may lead to a failure of that dam, so many small cases of fraud can result in truly needy people being refused help due to insufficient funding, severe cutbacks and punitive regulations to try to cut out fraud.

Wow my DH would be out on his arse, you don't do that to eachothers families, you just don't.

This is a remarkably silly response. Absolutely, there are grounds from what the OP says for thinking that her DH has reported her brother baselessly out of spite, but 'don't report someone because they're family' isn't really a valid reason not to report benefit fraud if you actually have significant grounds for thinking they are claiming fraudulently.

Molyholy - " Being out of work, all he could claim was
JSA
Income Support
Housing benefit
Child benefit - which everyone gets.

Is there anything else he would be entitled to claim for or anything he could be claiming fraudulently "

Actually he would legitimately claim:
a) either JSA or IS (dependant on age of DC)
b) Child benefit
c) Child tax credit
d) Housing benefit
e) Council tax benefit
f) Healthy start vouchers
g) NHS exemption - free prescriptions, eye tests, glasses, dental treatment and if he or DC have hospital appointment parking and travel expenses are paid (for me that stuff seriously adds up).
h) Then if council tax or housing benefit don't cover your full rent and council tax then you can request discretionary help to top it up.
I) a school age child can also get free school meals and in some areas free school breakfast too.

There might be more I can't think of off the top of my head but its a bloody lot - I was seriously shocked at how comparatively rich I was as a single mom on benefits.

I know someone who was reported for benefit fraud, and they were committing benefit fraud . Should they not have been reported? They were claiming benefits in two European countries, claiming to be single when they weren't, and getting housing benefit but the landlord was their boyfriend.

So according to a lot of people on here, whoever reported them was just spiteful and should have kept their nose out. The person in question was getting a lot of money. (And no, it wasn't me who reported them!)

Thanks Finally. So he could be claiming all that legitimately.

I am really failing to see what fraud he could be committing

Rhoda They were obviously reported by somebody who knew they were claiming fraudulently.

The OP's brother is spending too much money. Thats why her husband reported him.

re credit cards etc

they authorised me one on a part time minimum wage job with something ridiculous like a 3k limit. I also work part time now and despite my income I easily set up accounts online.

I have no doubt that it's surprisingly easy to get credit these days. probably too easy

I think it's an absolutely horrible thing to have done. And I think it would only be karma if he got pulled up on his own infractions in future (and I bet he bends the odd rule too).

The thing that often makes a difference to lone parents is maintenance, if you get a reasonable amount it makes a big difference to how much spare money you have to spend but it is all above board.

I HATE the way society is transforming into this 1984-esque regime where people are now encoraged to spy, snoop and sneak on their own family.Your DH doesn't even have a shred of evidence

In this climate I wouldn't report. When big corporations are avoiding tax I would be sceptical of being on the side of the tax man.

Your dh has put you in an atrocious position. Your db could get a custodial sentence.

I also question how people think he's getting loans and credit cards if he doesn't work

You know that they count benefits as income for things like that don't you?

Plus my bank gave me a credit card with 5,000 limit when I was a SAHM, with my only income as CB and tax credits on one DC. Ironically that limit would have taken me over 1.5yrs worth of all my child benefit and tax credits to repay! I was a bit shocked I only wanted a little limit to buy something just over a £100 for the credit card company guarantee/ protection thing. Its a good job I didn't go crazy with it.

The thing that often makes a difference to lone parents is maintenance, if you get a reasonable amount it makes a big difference to how much spare money you have to spend but it is all above board.

Oh yes I forgot Maintenence off my list above! Maintenence payments are not considered income in relation to what benefits you can claim. So its all the above benefits plus whatever maintenance the NR parent pays be that nothing or hundreds.

ninja1890 from what you have said your db isn't committing the obvious frauds like claiming to be single while living with a working partner so how do you think he is committing fraud? Do you think he is working cash in hand and not declaring it?

I notice that you are a first time poster who's posted something about benefit fraud.

Next...

I assume your DH is prepared to step in and help financially in the time of hardship during the investigations when your DB's benefits are stopped. He won't want his DN go without or his BIL and DN lose their home.

That is what the upstanding honest citizen he is should always do. It's not as if he did this out of malice, it was all good intentions. If your DB did claim fraudulently he can of course pay your DH back afterwards, if not, your DB will apologize and write off the money he gave BIL to survive.